Blood Stained Hands
by Essie Aster
Summary: A Jedi Padawan leaves the order and encounters dark forces in the underworld of Coruscant.
1. The Fall

Chapter 1

The Fall

****

A human male, somewhere in his early twenties, raced through the dark alleyways of the Crimson Corridor. The few occupants of the Corridor looked away as the man's pursuers gained on him. In the lead was a young human male of about seventeen years, followed by a teenaged Trandoshan and Rodian respectively: all three head members of the local 'law,' the Raptors. The man's 'crime' was stumbling into the Corridor after dark and refusing to pay the Raptor's the money they demanded for his safe, if it could be called that, passage out of the Corridor.

The man's head swam with unusable escape plans as his lungs began to burn in the thick, putrid air. All plans flew out the window as his right leg cramped up and his foot caught on an outcropping of broken permecrete. He turned his fall into a graceless shoulder roll, jumping back to his feet and continuing around a corner. The Raptors now roughly three meters away from him.

Trying to loose his pursuers, he took a complicated route of twists and turns that lead him in several circles. The man had no idea where he was going as he took a left around the side of the ruined foundation of a building, where as the Raptors knew this place even in the dark. All things considered, it was nearly always dark below the layer of fog ten stories up.

After a quick right turn the man found himself cornered with not place to hide and not even a stick to fight with. He skidded to a stop before the dead end and turned to face his three pursuers. The three stopped two meters in front of him and the human boy advanced at a walk.

'Yer on Raptor territ'ry, friend,' he said, informing the man, again, with an arrogant smile. 'Now you've got to pay.'

The man said nothing, but fixed his stance and clenched his hands into tight fists. He gave himself a mental pep talk as the grin on the boy's face broadened.

The boy gestured to the Trandoshan who had moved to flank his leader. 'I want you to meet Vressk. He doesn't say much, but he may be our best fighter.'

The Trandoshan stepped forward, his reptilian snout twisting into what may have been a smile on another life form. On the human's other flank, the Rodian cracked his knuckles and reached for an uncharged blaster in an attempt at intimidation.

The boy continued, Vressk now at his side. 'He 'asn't eaten in a while so it's safe to assume he's a bit hungry. It's your lucky day.' The boy took another step towards the man. 'He won't play with ya' much before he eats ya'.' The boy chuckled as the Trandoshan quickly closed the gap between himself and the human.

Knowing he was outmatched but refusing to go down without a fight, the man flew at the Trandoshan, landing a solid and well-placed punch on his snout. He moved quickly to follow up with an upper cut but was caught by surprise when a huge cold clawed hand gripped him firmly by the neck. His air being ruthlessly squeezed out of him, the man could only put up a few more seconds of fight before Vressk got a grip on his arm and ripped it off. The man let out a silent, breathless scream once and went into shock, not feeling another thing before his death.

The human boy turned to the Rodian, disgusted at the Trandoshan's play, though he would never admit it or show it. 'Well,' he said matter-of-factly as he gestured the Rodian to follow him. 'That was fun.'

The Rodian's small snout wiggled a little as he gave a nervous chuckle. The two walked out of the dead-end leaving the sounds of flesh tearing and ligaments popping behind them.

* * * * *

****

Chandra sat crossed legged, eyes closed on a round pallet in one of the many meditation chambers of the Jedi Temple. She had been sent there, again, by her mentor, Jedi Master Depa Billaba, to meditate, again, on the Jedi Code. Master Billaba sat on a cushion next to Chandra, also cross-legged and eyes closed.

Upon entering the mediation chamber, one would notice a stark contrast between Master and Padawan. The Jedi Master sat with her back straight, her expression serene and meditative. Her light brown robes matched her tan coloured skin. Two small jewels were set in her skin on the bridge of her nose. A Jedi would notice that she was completely submerged in the Force, monitoring her Padawan from within it.

The girl, on the other hand, sat stiffly, her brow creased with frustration. Her black hair was pulled off her face into a long ponytail. Her dark brown cloths looked stark against her too pale skin. She was no where near the Force.

In her mind she repeated the words of the Jedi Code, the first thing she had learned upon her arrival at the Jedi Temple.

__

There is no emotion; there is peace.

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

There is no passion; there is serenity.

There is no death; there is the Force.

Chandra knew the code, that was not the problem, but no matter how many times she was sent to meditate on it, no matter how many times Depa explained it, she simply could not understand it all. She knew that lack of understanding was the key to what was holding her back.

The second line made sense. On old maxim ran through her thoughts, _With knowledge comes power._ Yes, she understood that, and had plenty of it. Since the time she had learned how to read, Chandra had spent every spare moment in the Archives of the Jedi Temple. She stored every bit of information she'd read in her mind, like a well-organized computer file, ready to access at any moment. Yes, she had knowledge of facts, knowledge of the Force, but not access. And it was this reason, among others, that she could not comprehend how she had become a Padawan in the first place, much less chosen by a Jedi Master like Depa Billaba.

The fourth line made sense. Upon death all living creatures became one with the Force. She had seen death, plenty of it, and understood what happened. From the time of conception, the life form becomes an extension of the Force, not necessarily aware of it, but feeding it, and living off of it. At the moment of death the life form returns it's energy, it's substance, back to the Force. Therefore, in life and in death, all creatures are part of the Force.

The first and third lines, those two were another story all together. They seemed redundant. Chandra vaguely saw the difference between emotion and passion. She understood why emotions needed to be reigned in, kept from exploding into passion and taking over. But it seemed to Chandra that it took a form of passion to seek the Force day after day and not give up, maybe not for those who were able to dwell in it, to meld with it, but for those still learning. The second part of both lines, this was where she was stumped. Peace and serenity, they seemed like two words for the same thing, two words that described the feeling one had when completely immersed in the Force. But why, Chandra wondered, were they both used?

Chandra tried to seek her answers within the Force. Like so many other times, Chandra reached out, trying to find her connection to the Force. She knew it was out there, somewhere. She could sense it, could use it in a limited way. Many times during lightsabre duels she had found the Force there with her like an omnipresent friend. It had filled her with it's calm, guided her, moved her to victory. It was there when she needed it, but not when she looked for it. It seemed like the more she reached out for it, the further away it became. 

Depa sensed her Padawan's struggle, but could do nothing to help her. She understood how Chandra felt. She had been in the same place all those years ago when Mace Windu took her under his wing to train her. He guided her patiently as she grew slowly in the Force. Now she was a Jedi Master and a member of the Jedi High Council, an honour only twelve at a time receive. Her Master, Mace Windu, was a senior member of the Council.

Depa sense a wide range of conflicting emotions radiating from the girl beside her. She sensed doubt, fear, determination, and a sudden, powerful surge of anger. Her brow creased in concern as the anger grew.

Chandra gritted her teeth in anger. She was more determined than ever to find the Force. She was tired of failure, tired of the disappointed looks on her mentor's face, tired of the disapproval she saw in the eyes of the other Jedi Knights and Masters, tired of the scorn she received from the other students. She was tired of it all. She...felt the Force enfolding her, sending energy and strength into her, filling her with its power.

Depa's eyes popped open as she looked in shock at her Padawan. She felt strange ripples in the Force. The ripples turned into waves, then washed over the girl in a strong tide, filling her completely with its energy. But the energies were wrong. The Force conflicted with itself in the peaceful meditation chamber, pushing at itself like two lightsabres locked together. Depa frowned. She had seen this happen before. She remembered clearly the day Master Jinn returned to the temple without his Padawan and reported what had happened to the High Council. Two others had fallen prey to it only a few years ago. Depa hesitated, knowing she must put a stop to this, must warn her student about the danger; her student who now was sitting, relaxed, comfortable, deep within the folds of the power that came from the Dark Side.

* * * * *

****

Chandra stood silently, listening to her mentor's speech on the Dark Side. Depa stood a full head shorter than her Padawan, but her presence was a powerful one. Her blue eyes were patient and concerned. Chandra was once again frustrated and angry. She held herself like someone who was uncomfortable with her body. Her long arms dangled at her side and her shoulders were a little stooped.

'Once you start down the path of the Dark Side it will forever control your destiny. Do you understand this, Chandra? You must never again allow yourself to fall into its evil.' Depa finished, looking deep into her Padawan's eyes.

Chandra said nothing, keeping her thoughts respectfully to herself. She knew she was breaking another one of the rules by not responding to a Master, but at the moment she really did not care.

Depa sighed. Trying to break through this girl was like trying to push one lightsabre blade through another. The blades would lock until they over heated and exploded. 'Chandra, my job here is to train you to become a Jedi Knight. If that was not possible you would never have come to the Temple,' Depa said softly.

'No, your right,' Chandra interrupted her, not caring how she spoke. 'I would have died back on Corellia when I was three after a Jedi Knight murdered both of my parents!'

'You know that's not how it happened, Chandra,' Depa said, barely a hint of frustration peeking through her voice. It was quickly covered up. 'We've been over this before. Your parents were members of the Black Sun. They ambushed a peacekeeping...'

'If it was an ambush then why was I there? Why did I watch them die?'

'Chandra,' Depa scolded firmly, immediately silencing the girl. 'Qui-Gon Jinn is a Jedi Master. It is not your place to question him or myself. Do I make myself clear?'

Chandra gritted her teeth as she humbled herself, knowing she was getting no where except into trouble. 'Yes, Master,' she said quietly.

Depa took a step toward the girl, no longer as a disciplining mentor, but as a mother, and laid a comforting hand on Chandra's shoulder. She placed another on the girl's cheek and raised Chandra's eyes from the floor to look into her own. 

'Let go of your anger, Chandra,' she said lovingly, but firmly. 'If you hold onto it and feed it, it will only grow, and it will destroy you.'

Chandra clenched her jaw shut, biting back her response. In a bold, disrespectful move, she twisted away from Depa and stormed out of the room, leaving the Jedi Master stunned and saddened.

* * * * *

****

A purple energy beam ignited as nine tiny remote controlled droids flew in random circles around the tall Jedi and began shooting thin blue energy darts at him. The first was aimed at his legs and a split second later at his chest. Letting the Force guide his movements, the Jedi's lightsabre spun at an impossible speed, deflecting both bolts almost simultaneously. Four more bolts came at him; head level, chest, arm, and another at his legs. Three of the four were dodged by a lightning fast twist, the fourth was dodged with a quick jump at the last second. Deep within the energy tides of the Force, the Jedi sensed and deflected nine energy bolts hurled at him at once. All nine bolts were returned to their droids after striking the blade of the lightsabre. All nine droids fell to the ground, flawlessly deactivated. The Jedi hadn't even broken a sweat.

The Jedi thumbed the power on the lightsabre off and turned to the entrance as Depa Billaba walked in. She glanced quickly at the nine spherical droids scattered on the floor and nodded her approval.

'Congratulations, Master Windu,' she said quietly.

'Master Billaba, what brings you here?' The dark skinned Jedi Master asked, clipping his lightsabre onto his utility belt.

'It's my Padawan, Master,' Depa started, Mace Windu gesturing for her to follow him. 'I'm, well, frankly I'm very concerned about her. She seems to have given up on everything we've tried to teach her. She's...' Depa hesitated, unwilling to continue her sentence.

'Begun to look to the Dark Side,' Windu finished for her.

Depa looked up at her mentor. 'Yes,' she affirmed.

'We've all felt it. I was actually wondering if you'd been able to resolve yet without the intervention of the Council.'

'She's become increasingly more defiant and disrespectful, Master. Disrespectful of both myself and other Jedi. Today she went as far as to accuse Master Jinn of murdering her parents. Then she turned her back on me and left.'

Mace Windu sighed as Depa finished. 'I will call a meeting of the High Council tomorrow and we will discuss this matter further.' He rested a fatherly hand on Depa's shoulder. 'For now, be confident that Chandra will choose the correct path.'

Depa forced a smile as she and her mentor went their separate ways. She tried to follow his advice, but a nagging fear tugged at the back of her consciousness.

* * * * *

****

In her dark chambers, Chandra slept the light, fitful sleep of one whose mind was troubled. She slept and she dreamed. She dreamed of her past. The past she hardly remembered. The past before the Jedi came into her life.

She could see her mother's face, like hers in complexion, only serious and worry worn. Her father's image was vague. She remembered him only as a strong presence that never seemed to go away. Then the Jedi came. She remembered a battle that did not last long. There were not many beings there. Her mother and father, a Trandoshan, three Rodians, a Faleen, and Jedi Knight and his Padawan. She didn't remember the events leading up to the fight, even in her dreams. She only saw her mother and father firing blaster bolts at the attacking Jedi. Their blaster bolts were deflected back at them and their fight was over almost as soon as it began. The face of the Jedi haunted her even during her waking hours; the face of the man who had killed her parents, found her hiding spot, and stole her away to the Jedi Temple, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.

Suddenly, in the way of dreams, the images shifted. She was fourteen now, in the present, or at least near the present, perhaps in the nearby future. She was running through dark alleyways somewhere in the underworld of Coruscant. Behind her were four beings in hot pursuit. Chandra easily kept ahead of them, but then she stopped just short of the base of the skyscrapers, its walls forming a T-shaped intersection. She started to run down the right lane when something stopped her. She sensed something, a strange presence, powerful and dark, something she had never felt before. She did an about-face and out of the shadows, now directly in front of her, emerged a cloaked figure. The figure was humanoid, tall, but unrecognizable under the black cloak and cowl-like hood. The presence pulled at her, enticing her to draw nearer but at the same time sending a bolt of fear down her spine. She felt that if she took even one step that way she would never be able to alter her course.

Behind her now she felt a familiar presence. She did not even have to look, though she did, to recognize her mentor, Depa Billaba. Now she stood between the two beings, torn, with no where to go but back. From somewhere in the distance she heard the footfalls of her four pursuers, whom she had forgotten about, cutting off her only escape. Now she had to choose. Chandra covered her head in a futile attempt at blocking out her surroundings. She fell to her knees as the six beings around her all began to call out to her at once.

Then it was over. Chandra woke abruptly, her eyes popping open and her ears ringing with the echoes of her dream. She glanced at the chrono across the room. It was still early morning. Dawn had not yet broke on the horizon of the thermasteel covered planet. 

Chandra settled back into her sleeping couch and closed her eyes. She wanted to fall back to sleep but her subconsciousness feared what may wait her there. After two hours of silence she finally slipped out of consciousness and did not dream for the rest of the night.

* * * * * 

****

The judgement was passed. Without her having any say in the matter, it was decided that Chandra would go to Sullust as a part of a relief team for a year. As she stood before the Council they told her that it was to help her focus, but Chandra could see past their thin words. The news was out. All over the Temple Padawans and Jedi alike whispered about it. Jedi Padawan Chandra was falling toward the Dark Side. The Council wanted to keep it quiet so naturally everyone knew. Chandra could not walk past anyone, student or teacher, without receiving curious, fearful, or scolding glances.

Deep within her an uncontrollable rage ignited. Somehow she knew her destiny was not on some strange world helping beings she could not care less about. She knew that somewhere, deep under the planet-wide city her destiny was waiting for her. All she had to do was meet it. She began to quickly formulate a plan to leave the Jedi Temple behind her, forever.

Chandra spent the next several hours in the Archives pouring over maps of Coruscant. She tried vainly to ignore Madame Jocasta Nu's presence breathing down her back for the first half hour. Fortunately the old Jedi was called away by a man she recognized as Lorn Pavan. She glanced up quickly in their direction and saw Jedi Master Dooku fiddling with a small, pyramid shaped holocron in the back of one of the aisles. The holocron was quickly hidden when he sensed her gaze on him.

Chandra shrugged and thought nothing more of it. She was finally alone. She quickly switched to the maps of the lower levels of Coruscant, the levels which most beings who loved on the planet denied existed at all. She was busy memorizing the map of the third quadrant of the Zi-Kree sector, known by the locals as the Crimson Corridor, when two nine-year-olds decided it would be fun to make sport of her while Madam Jocasta was busy. One of the boys leaned in close, but not too close, while the other boy kept a fearful distance.

'Shouldn't you be studying the maps for Sullust right now?' the boy asked, mockery thick in his unchanged voice.

Chandra did nothing but turn her head and envelop the two boys in a hard glare. The boys lost no time in making themselves scarce.

__

No, Chandra answered them in her thoughts. _Because I'm not going to Sullust._ She returned to the maps as if the boys had never interrupted her.

* * * * *

****

She was not sure how she did it or if she even had. Chandra had simply walked out of the Temple, going out for some air, passing by numerous Jedi, including her mentor, without receiving so much as a glance from anyone. Normally Chandra would have wondered what had happened, would have worried that she had no supplies. But not today. Today she was free and wasted not time in loosing herself in the crowd. She found that, however, she stood quite apart from the other beings there, cloaked as she was in the garb well known for being used by the Jedi. She could only hope that the robe she wore over it was enough to conceal her from the more probing eyes.

It was not.

From behind her she could sense the presence of the being she hated above all others in the galaxy. Her first thought was, _What is he doing back here?_ Her second was quite different. _Girl, you'd better make yourself scarce or he's gonna find you._ Chandra's eyes narrowed in response to a profound hate welling up inside of her, instantly connecting her with the Force. Suddenly she sensed that Qui-Gon had found her and that there were others about to find her. Someone grabbed her arm from behind. Using the Force to give her power she broke loose of the hold and bolted through a crowd of tall aliens, disturbing several drinks and causing an eruption of curses. There were two Jedi on her tail as she dashed into a building and threw herself inside the turbolift just as the door began to close. She rode the elevator up for a while until a few of the other passengers disembarked. She followed them discretely into another building and took that turbolift down thirty levels. Here Chandra switched again and took a new turbolift down to its lowest level. She let go of the Force, not knowing if the Jedi were still following her but figuring it would take them longer if the could not sense her use of the Force. She exited the building and walked slowly to the edge of the permecrete outcropping. She looked over the side and judged she was still around twenty stories above the fog layer. 

She looked around her, trying to place where exactly she was. She knew she had not come far from the temple in a horizontal path, though she had come quite a way vertically. The buildings around her were noticeably more run down than those she was used to. A pick pocket brushed by her, quickly reaching into the pocked of her robe and pulling his hand out quite disappointed. Chandra ignored the small boy, feeling almost a sense of pity for him. But the boy had given her an idea. She reached into the inside fold of her obi and pulled out a few credits she always had stashed away there. It was not much, but it would get her out of the area. She managed to hail a taxi and climbed into the back of the cloud car. She gave the driver all of the credits and told him to drive her as far east as the credits would last. She could have gotten the ride for free an for farther, but she was never any good at voice manipulation, so at this point she did not even try.

The taxi dropped her off a level down and about ninety miles east. She knew she had paid for more but did not want to push the issue. This was far enough. Chandra exited the cloud car and found her way into an apartment building. She took the turbolift as far down as it would go, fourteen stories. There was another turbolift inside the building that went down further but it had been offline for years and was, by this point in time, completely unusable. She left the apartment building and was quickly hit by a myriad of lights and sound. The sunlight did not penetrate the smog very well down here but the owners of the nearby bars, taverns, and clubs seemed to be doing a good job of making up for lack of sunlight by using bright coloured fluorescent lights advertising things Chandra had only heard rumors of.

Some of the citizens of this area did not take too kindly to her presence there. Drug and spice dealers glared at her from corners and protectively hid their illegal substances. Local prostitutes moved away from their posts, trying to act like normal citizens. Their male or female companions did not seem too happy with the change. 

Some beings, on the other hand, gave off a sense of relief at the presence of a Jedi in the vicinity. They gave way before her, creating a clear path to wherever she wanted to go.

Chandra despised this place. She wanted out. She wanted down. The one place she wanted to go she could not find a path to. She lingered in the streets for hours, listening, following beings around, looking for any way to get past the layer of fog five levels below her. 

The edge of the permecrete outcropping was blocked off by a cast iron fence, mostly to prevent the inebriated citizens from falling off the edge. Chandra moved over to the edge, seriously considering jumping down. It was five stories to the fog layer, and thirty more past that. She'd heard of Jedi surviving falls farther than that, but the occurrences were rare, and she did not trust the Force enough to try that.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chandra saw the crowd of people break. Two Rodians burst through the opening and charged straight at her. They stopped several meters in front of her and paused just long enough to get their bearings. From within the crowd she heard someone yell, 'STOP THEM!!!' 

Chandra bolted after the two creatures. People gave way before her, assuming, since she wore Jedi cloths, that she meant to stop the two creatures. She hung back just far enough to let them think they would get away. Her strategy proved true enough for a while. The Rodians lead her in several circles, through cramped alleyways, inside of worn down buildings. Unable to shake her though, the Rodians thought of something Chandra hadn't expected. They ran straight into the thick of the crowd. As the press of bodies became increasingly difficult to push through, Chandra fought her own despair.

When she finally broke through the crowd, the Rodians were no where in site. With the noise of the cloud cars mixed with the raucous population Chandra could trust none of her senses. In a last, desperate action, Chandra tried to connect with the Force. She found it much easier than ever but she did not bother thinking about it. As she caught her breath she let the Force envelop her, guide her. Her senses were suddenly heightened. She could distinctly hear the footfalls of the creatures and could almost 'see' where they were. She darted after them, quickly catching up to them and staying on their heels. Suddenly she stopped. She had arrived at the place where she had last 'seen' the creatures. It was a dead end. 

Chandra's anger at her current situation quickly melded with the tides of the Force, turning them dark. She felt a stronger power enfold her, welcoming her like a friend. Through the Force Chandra could feel the traces of the Rodians' life force. She followed to where their path distinctly dropped below her. She found herself standing above them somehow. She looked down at her feet and to her pleasure saw what appeared to be the half covered outline of an old service tunnel from the time when this had been part of the upper levels of the planet-city. Despite its aged appearance it opened quite easily. She smiled, overjoyed that she had found a passage down lower into the planet. Her joy promptly disconnected her from the Dark Side.

Chandra spun as she heard soft footsteps approaching her from the cramped ally leading to the dead end. She quickly realized her mistake. Her used of the Dark Side had acted like a homing beacon for the Jedi looking for her. Qui Gon Jinn's Padawan had followed that beacon quite easily and was now only three meters away. She took a step backwards, standing on the edge of the service tunnel. Another set of footsteps approached.

__

He must have already called for help, Chandra thought, her eyes narrowing at the young man. _Qui-Gon._

'Tell your master I'll come back for him,' she said. Not letting the young man respond she leapt into the tunnel. She did not know or care if there would be anything to break her fall at the bottom.

* * * * *

****

A young man, cloaked in black watched the silent confrontation between the two Jedi Padawans with mild amusement. He saw the girl defiantly leap into the black service tunnel and felt her reaching out to the Force.

He saw a tall Jedi Knight rush into the ally as the male Padawan raced to the edge of the tunnel, ready to jump in after the stubborn female. The Jedi Knight stopped him and calmly gauged the situation. To the man's mild surprise, the Jedi began to follow the girl after finding a ladder that started about four meters down. At his silent bidding an entire flock of hawk bats flew into the service tunnel from a lower level then up and out, dozens of the creatures ramming into the surprised Jedi. The cloaked man bared his pointed teeth as he watched the Jedi struggle to shield their faces with their arms as they drew their lightsabres and fought to fend off the crazed creatures. The lightsabres, unfortunately for the Jedi, proved to be of little help against the hawk bats who were perching on their heads and shoulders and pecking at them. As if on a silent command the two Jedi fled the alley ragged and bleeding from the ferocity of the creatures' attack.

The cloaked man resisted the urge to follow them or to send the hawk bats after them. Instead he remained hidden in his perch to wait out the situation.

* * * * *

****

Chandra hung desperately to a half broken ladder in the cramped service tunnel as a flock of hawk bats flew past her from no where. She had caught the ladder just in time to get a good grip before the crazed creatures flew past her. She had no clue what had come over the creatures, but, whatever it was, she was grateful for it. 

Chandra reached out and felt the Dark Side waiting for her, within her grasp. She quickly grabbed hold of it and used it to guide her footsteps over the rusted out and missing rungs. She searched for traces of the two Rodians and sensed that they had somehow already reached the bottom. For their sake she hoped that they had reached it before the hawk bats had entered the tunnel.

The progress she made was quick, but not quick enough. She was still at least ten stories from the bottom when she sensed the hawk bats starting to disperse above her. She reconsidered jumping the rest of the way.

* * * * *

****

The hawk bats loosed themselves on the city as Qui-Gon and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, quickly returned to the dead end where Chandra had leapt into the service tunnel. The lid was still open. Neither Qui-Gon nor Obi-Wan sensed any trace of Chandra.

Qui-Gon pulled a small com-link from his utility belt and turned the power on, opening a channel to the Jedi Temple. It was quickly answered by Jedi Master Windu.

'What is your report?' The Jedi Master asked, dispensing, as was his way, with all pleasantries and small talk.

'We know which direction Chandra went but we can't find her.'

'Can you sense nothing, Qui-Gon?'

'No, Master Windu. Her life force stops here. She jumped into an old service tunnel. It's highly possible she was killed upon striking bottom,' Qui-Gon answered solemnly.

'Possible, but not certain,' came the determined reply.

Qui-Gon's voice had a tinge of regret as he spoke. 'I sense nothing, Master Windu. No life force, no feelings. Its as if she never got any further than where I am standing.'

Though he could not hear it, the Jedi Master could almost feel the leader of the High Council sigh, could almost see his shoulders sag under the weight of yet another lost Padawan. It was happening more and more frequently. First Xanatos, then Bruck Chun, most recently the twins, Taúna and Florex, now Chandra. All four had turned to the Dark Side. Three were lost to the world of the living, one had disappeared. A pang hit Qui-Gon's heart. The lost were not the only ones gone.

'Understood,' Master Windu's voice was solemn. 'Return to the Temple when you can.'

The com-link connection was broken and Qui-Gon stowed the small device away in his utility belt.

Obi-Wan looked with concern at his master. Qui-Gon was silent, reflective. _He's thinking of Xanatos again,_ Obi-Wan rightly guessed. In his years as Qui-Gon's Padawan, Obi-Wan had learned to read his master quite well. There were still times when the Jedi Master surprised him, mostly by straying from the code; but over all, Obi-Wan could tell when to stay silent around him.

Conscious of his master's reflective mood, Obi-Wan slipped into the Force like a hand into a well-fitted glove. Or was it the other way around? It did not really matter. He let the Force envelop him in its cleansing energies and reached out to search again for the lost Padawan. Nothing. It was as Qui-Gon had said, as if Chandra had never gone past the lip of the service tunnel. Perhaps this was all a dream. Perhaps Obi-Wan would wake up on his sleeping couch at the Temple and things would be as they should be. But Obi-Wan knew better than to dwell on wishful thinking. Chandra was gone. Another Padawan had been lost to the evil energies of the Dark Side.

Obi-Wan's eyes traveled up as he sensed another presence nearby. On a high ledge, half hidden by garbage and refuse stood a tall, black cloaked figure. Obi-Wan blinked and the image was gone. So was the presence he had felt. As if no one had ever been there. Obi-Wan sighed quietly and dismissed the phantom as a product of his over-active imagination.

Qui-Gon was pulling himself out of the past and, one last time, searching for Chandra's life-force as Obi-Wan turned to his master. Sensing a slight change in the Jedi Master's mood, the Jedi Padawan dared to speak and ask a question.

'Chandra said, "Tell your master I'll come back for him",' Obi-Wan reported. 'What did she mean, Master?'

Qui-Gon turned to his young Padawan and smiled ever so slightly. His eyes reflected sorrow but strength as well. 'It is in the past, Obi-Wan. You'd best not dwell on it.'

Qui-Gon was silent as he replaced the lid to the service tunnel. During the entire journey back to the Temple, he and Obi-Wan walked side by side, like father and son, and said not a word. Only one thought lingered in Obi-Wan's mind. _Why do all the Padawans that turn hate him so much?_

* * * * *

****

The cloaked man stood silently, watching the Jedi Master confer with someone at the Temple. During the silence he dared to move out a little more to get a better view. A better view of the Jedi he would one day kill. He could almost taste the blood as he imagined the final, killing blow. _Someday._

The Padawan turned and looked up at the cloaked man. In the blink of an eye the man hid himself behind a crate and concealed his life-force in the dark currents around him.


	2. The First Stain

Chapter 2

The First Stains

****

Chandra sensed the Jedi's. She knew that if she remained in the tunnel they would sense her presence. She knew that if she fled they would pursue her. Anyone not force sensitive would assume her dead after leaping into an unknown service tunnel, but the Jedi could feel her life force. A quick thought crossed her mind and she caught hold of the dark side and thought of herself as a void, remembering the sensation she had while walking out of the temple. She let herself become that void, holding her breath and closing her eyes, in the process commanding all of her senses to focus on the void.

'We know which direction Chandra went, but there's no telling how far she's gotten.'

'Can you sense nothing Qui-Gon?'

'No, Master Windu. Her life force stops here.'

Chandra's heart quickened as she struggled to keep her concentration. She missed the rest of the conversation and almost lost her hold on the Dark Side. Silence. Slowly, she sensed the two Jedi turn and leave. Chandra waited, listened, and reached out with the Force. There was nothing.

She breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the ancient ladder. Somewhere in the back of her mind she found it odd that Qui-Gon had not pursued her any further. Then again, the Jedi Master had been acting strangely since the death of his friend Tahl. Thoughts raced through and ricocheted off of Chandra's skull with dizzying speed. She had lost the robbers but she had never really been after them. But how had they gotten down so fast? Overwhelmed, she rested her head on a metallic rung and closed her eyes. She was suddenly exhausted. She had no supplies, food or water, it was late, and she longed for nothing than to just curl up on her sleep-couch and not move. She wanted to weep and scream all at once but was too tired to do either. Too tired to move. Too tired...

*****

****

A young man knelt before a hooded figure. The young man appeared, from a distance, to be a black figure. Up close he was cloaked in black robes and tattooed in black and red. The hooded figure was humanoid, concealed behind a deep cowl and cloaked in black as well.

The figure, the Dark Lord Sidious, spoke in a low, sinister voice that commanded the young man's undivided attention.

'You encountered Jedi today, Lord Maul,' Sidious said knowingly.

Maul knew better than to deny. 'Yes, my master.'

'I trust you kept yourself hidden.' It was not a question.

Maul chose to keep the incident with the hawk bats to himself. 'Yes, master.'

'And what of the rogue Padawan?'

'She vanished.'

'Vanished?' Sidious thought about this. He knew his apprentice did not have the capacity for being vague. If Maul said the Padawan had vanished, she indeed had. He put the information just behind the more pressing matter.

Sidious looked carelessly at his kneeling apprentice. 'There is a growing interest in our creed among some of the youth of Coruscant. They are beginning to search for the holocron. They must not find it, Lord Maul. Go to Korriban and plant a decoy. If anyone sees you remove him.'

'Yes, my master.' Maul responded, bowing his head. 

'That is all,' Sidious snapped. Maul rose quietly and left his master's presence. He proceeded immediately to the docking port where his master's ship waited; he needed no preparation for this mission. He quickly keyed in the code his master had given him for times when his missions required traveling. As he broke the light barrier part of his mind brooded about the lack of challenge. All his life he had been trained to kill Jedi and now he was sent to distract some overly curious students. Maul quietly cautioned himself and reassured himself that this was important to his master and he would do his best. It was the only way he knew.

Meanwhile Sidious stood where he had been for the interview with his apprentice. Knowing Maul would take care of the problem on Korriban, Sidious brought the rogue Padawan back to his thoughts. For a while he contemplated the rule by two policy.

*****

****

The room of a thousand fountains. This was Obi-Wan's favourite place. The spectacular sunset was coming to a close and the stars were starting to shine through the pale sky. Obi-wan had to consciously remind himself that it was not real. He did not care; it was still beautiful. Obi-wan reached down inside himself, searching for his calm. He could not find it. 

He saw Chandra glare at him, he heard her voice and he sensed something. Anger, yes, but there was something else. Something buried below the anger.

__

Fear. She was afraid. Not of Qui-Gon. Something else. Obi-wan thought about that for a few minutes. He searched his memory for the events leading up to her flight. _Sullust. She was sent to Sullust._ His mind jumped to another event without completing his previous thought. 

He had felt Qui-Gon approach from behind, heard people talking out on the main street, saw Chandra leap into the service tunnel, then he felt nothing. He sensed nothing. Her presence was gone but he never felt it leave. Qui-Gon had said noting about it while talking to Master Windu.

Obi-Wan's heart sank. Qui-Gon had not been the same since Tahl died. He was distracted, depressed if that was possible. 

Obi-Wan's attention was jerked back to the present by the shuffling of small feet and the steady 'thunk' of a gimmer stick cane. He gave a slight smile as Yoda approached the bridge. 

'Something disturbs you, Obi-Wan,' the ancient Jedi Master rasped, reaching the bridge Obi-Wan stood on.

'It's Chandra, Master Yoda. I'm not certain she's dead.' Obi-Wan willingly explained. He loved his conversations with Master Yoda. The ancient Jedi was so full of wisdom and calm and always seemed to help him make sense of things.

'Ahh, wish to speak with you about this, the council does,' the Jedi Master said pensively, the tips of his ears rotating slowly in a way that told his close friends that he was deep in thought. 'How feel you about Master Qui-Gon?'

Obi-Wan paused a beat before answering. 'I can appreciate where Master Qui-Gon is coming from. He's lost a good friend. I think he should be able to mourn in his own way. But I don't believe he can be...relied upon to make sound decisions.'

Yoda nodded quietly. After a nervous moment for Obi-Wan, Yoda spoke. 'Come, young Obi-Wan.' The small Master shuffled away wit Obi-Wan close behind. 

*****

****

Chandra woke to find hands from all kinds of different creatures grabbing onto her and pulling at her. One began to reach for her lightsabre. Disoriented and confused, Chandra reached out for the Force and looked for her master. The Force eluded her and there were no friendly faces among the creatures around her. Her split-second panic turned quickly into anger and brought her in contact with the Dark Side. Immediately her lightsabre was in her hands, activated, and several limbs flopped to the ground. Everything came back to her as the creatures fled. She was free, no longer under the shadow of the Temple. So why did her mind trouble her?

Chandra felt a disturbance in the Force behind her. She spun, lightsabre already moving, just in time to sever a hand holding a vibroblade. The Rodian it belonged to howled and leapt aside as a huge Trandoshan bulldozed his way past. He struck Chandra as a human came in from behind. Her lightsabre flew into a heap of trash and grime. Chandra quickly balanced herself as the Trandoshan and human both swung at her. The human had just procured a vibroblade. Chandra jumped and back-flipped over the human, sending his blade flying with a well-placed kick and sending out a Force-blast that left the boy only partially conscious.

The Trandoshan charged again as Chandra landed. It was too late. Chandra's lightsabre leapt back into her hand and she swung a graceful, Force-powered arc, instantly killing the creature. She was so enraged within the Dark Side that she would have killed any creature within her reach. In her mind she heard Yoda's reprimanding voice. _A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense - never for attack._ She did not care.

Meanwhile, the Rodian was desperately trying to rouse the Human. He darted away as Chandra approached, lightsabre still activated. In the short distance between herself and the now-conscious, terrified human, Chandra's rage cooled and she released her hold on the Force. The boy scrambled to his feet and looked ready to bolt as Chandra deactivated her weapon and clipped it back onto her belt. She stopped her advance.

'What are you?' the boy asked, his voice quivering slightly.

Chandra said nothing, not quite certain how to answer. Sure her Jedi robes, lightsabre, and Padawan braid were quite obvious, but she was no longer a Jedi. In a sickening moment Chandra realized what her Master had feared. She had joined the list of the fallen, the Dark Jedi. Chandra staggered forward and reached out to hold onto something. Nothing was there. She fell onto her knees and dropped her head, completely forgetting about the boy.

She was a fallen, a Dark Jedi, and she could not go back. The Trandoshan's head lay within arm's reach, it's blank eyes staring at her, accusing her. She heard Depa's kind, strong voice. _'Once you start down the path to the Dark Side it will forever control your destiny.'_

Chandra was crushed. She had fled from the temple, threatened a Jedi Master, and killed an unarmed creature. Her list of crimes combined with her used of the Dark Side was enough to ensure that she would never be accepted back at the Temple. This was her home now. Chandra looked above her. Darkness, filth, and fog. It was not what she expected, it was not what she had hoped, but somehow it was fitting. Chandra blocked out her regret and brought her focus back to the moment, determined to make the best of her situation.

The boy was trying to sneak away.

'Stop.'

The boy froze. Chandra had not looked up. He had not seen the changing emotions on her face, behind her eyes. All he saw was a Jedi who had maimed and scared off a half a dozen ruffians wounded his best friend, and killed a Trandoshan without breaking a sweat. Now she knelt on the ground, motionless. The overall effect on him was terrifying. For the leader of the Raptors, someone unaccustomed to people fighting back, this was a strange, unexpected situation.

Chandra stood to her feet in one graceful movement, quickly closing the gap between her and the boy. As she neared the boy a blaster sang out a stun bolt, barely missing her. The boy tried to escape but Chandra held him forcefully by the arm, holding her lightsabre near his neck.

'I thought Jedi didn't take hostages,' the boy said, wetting his lips with a dry tongue.

'I'm not a Jedi,' Chandra said with a dark glare. The boy squirmed in her grip. 'And you're not a hostage.'

'Listen, I'll make you a deal,' the boy said quietly, reasoning that if she was not a Jedi than she could be bargained with. 'I'll call off my men if you let men if you let me go.' 

'Don't think I can't kill you and your friend at any time,' Chandra threatened.

'Then why haven't...'

The boy was cut off by a blaster bolt, again on stun. Chandra's lightsabre deflected the bolt. From the ensuing groan she assumed she'd hit her target.

'Stop!' the boy cried out as soon as the lightsabre flashed. The Rodian whimpered.

'Alright, you win!' he cried, panicking and raising his hands in surrender. Another shot rang out, this one set to kill. Chandra dodged and the bolt struck the boy who collapsed in a heap. The Rodian cried out and dashed into the open, one arm limp at his side, looking for the hidden attacker. He hit the ground as another two bolts zipped past him and were deflected by Chandra's lightsabre. After a moment of silence the Rodian scrambled to his feet nursing a wounded, numb arm. He didn't even glance at Chandra as he dropped to his knees next to the human boy. Chandra breathed easier knowing that the boy was alive.

Chandra reached into her utility belt and, pulling out her minimal emergency supplies that she always kept with her, dropped next to the boy to bandage the wound. 

*****

Obi-Wan knew the way to the Council Chamber - he had been there many times, but he was surprised when Yoda veered off toward a smaller chamber around the back of the main Council room. Inside the room were Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Depa Billaba. Both looked tired, their brows creased in concern.

Obi-Wan stood respectfully two steps from the entrance and bowed as Yoda shuffle to his seat. Mace turned to regard the young Padawan. Obi-Wan had to consciously stop himself from squirming under the piercing gaze of Master Windu. Instead of returning his gaze, Obi-Wan turned his eyes left to Chandra's master. Her countenance was serene as usual but her eyes held burning questions. Obi-Wan longed to shout out everything. Fortunately Master Windu spoke.

'Tell us exactly what occurred after you found Padawan Chandra.' 

Normally Padawan's were formally referred to by their surnames. Once again part of Obi-Wan's mind mused over this as he answered. He explained everything, from Chandra's threat and the strange feeling of a third presence, to the sense that Chandra just disappeared. The Masters sat quietly and did not move. Master Windu gestured that Obi-Wan should wait outside.

Once the door shut Depa spoke. 'Master Windu, let me go and search for her.'

'No, Depa, not this time,' Mace answered, exercising his authority as Senior Council Member.

Depa was about to object when Yoda interrupted her. 'Agree with Master Windu on this, I do. Too raw are your feelings. Dangerous this is, both for you and your Padawan.'

Depa wanted to scream inside but she would not allow herself even that. She knew what Yoda had said was true, but she could not make herself back down.

_There is no emotion - there is peace_

There is not passion - there is serenity

Depa retained control and nodded her head. Mace addressed the two together. 'I would like to send Adi Gallia and her Padawan on the search. They just returned from Duros last night.'

Depa nodded. She trusted Adi. Yoda also nodded. Mace looked satisfied. 'I'm sending Obi-Wan with them as a guide and an extra set of senses.' Mace looked tenderly at Depa who returned a sad smile.

In less than ten minutes the team of a Jedi Master and two Padawans set out.

*****

****

Chandra suddenly felt a familiar presence coming toward the cramped alleyway. In a panic she stuffed the supplies back into her belt and reached out to the Dark Side. Her eyes flashed.

'Come, we can't help him here,' she commanded the nervous Rodian while she picked up the large human boy.

The Rodian stood confused for a moment. Chandra set him in motion with a dark glare and one word. 'Move.'

She imagined the void again as they set off at a quick pace and was amazed at how much easier use of the Dark Side became each time she tried. She sensed the presence of the Jedi like bright beacons coming closer and closer. Without hesitating Chandra nudged the Rodian ahead of her into a quicker pace. They ducked into a broken down shell of a building and Chandra barely paid attention as he cleaned and bandaged the boy's shoulder wound.

*****

****

Upon arriving at the service tunnel Obi-Wan described, again, everything that had happened. Master Gallia looked down the tunnel.

'This leads into the Crimson Corridor,' she announced. Obi-Wan swallowed hard and Siri, Aid Gallia's usually strong-willed and arrogant Padawan paled. 'Stay alert you two, and don't say anything to anyone. Got that?'

The two Padawans nodded in unison. Obi-Wan's gaze drifted to where he had briefly sensed that extra presence. He quickly wondered why it kept bothering him.

'There is a ladder a few feet down. Be careful and follow me.'

Master Gallia went first, followed by Siri then Obi-Wan.

Adi stopped after a moment. Someone had been here. The presence was too faint to make out but whoever had come this way had stayed only briefly and had left a while ago. They continued down, staying in the service tunnel until it emptied out into the lowest level of the planetary city. Adi activated a glowstick as she made way for Siri to exit the tunnel. Instantly Siri's hand flew to her lightsabre and Obi-Wan looked ready to do the same. Adi held her hand out to calm the two Padawans.

'Be still, the danger is past,' she said calmly. Siri hesitantly let go of her lightsabre.

'Master Gallia,' Obi-Wan called, choking down the bile that rose in his throat.

Adi followed his stare to a disembodied head just inside the ring of light. She knelt down and examined it. Part of her did not want to believe it. The look in Obi-Wan's eyes told her that he already knew.

*****

****

Chandra paused. She reached out to find the Jedi search party again. Three individuals, two untrained, one very disciplined, a master. Only one she recognized as Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan. She looked back down at the pale boy. The wound was not fatal but it would take time and medication to heal. Near her the Rodian whimpered, using his remaining hand to keep a hold of the boy and rocking slightly. Chandra felt a pang of remorse looking at him. She knew she could have disarmed him without wounding him so badly.

_I don't have to give up all decency. These two will never survive down here like this. Perhaps..._

'Do you speak basic?'

The Rodian jerked his head up at her.

Chandra repeated her question. The Rodian shook his head. Chandra let out a frustrated growl. _These two aren't going anywhere soon._ Quickly, Chandra stood to her feet and left. The Rodian ignored her, still whimpering.

Chandra retraced their steps, following her Force sense back to where the Jedi were. She wrapped herself in the Dark Side and tried to think of the void, but her grip was weak and she could barely hold it.

__

Compassion. It won't let me use the Dark Side. Chandra let go, determined to face the Jedi alone. She approached them from the shadows. Master Gallia sensed her first by the expression on her faced, and based on the haunted look in the girl Padawan's, Siri she recalled, eyes Chandra knew that the events had been pieced together. Chandra slipped into a deep shadow and swallowed her fear. Obi-Wan turned and took a small step toward her.

'Master Gallia.'

Adi Gallia had already seen Chandra and had started approaching slowly. 

'There are two wounded boys down this alley,' Chandra gestured behind her. 'They need medical attention.'

Chandra's announcement both startled and angered Siri and she spun, lightsabre in hand. Before Gallia had gotten a word out Siri charged in a fit of rage over the carnage Chandra had caused. Chandra's lightsabre leapt into her hands and she struggled to ward off Siri's Force-powered blows. From somewhere Chandra heard Adi call out to her Padawan. Angry, Chandra opened herself up and let the Dark Side pour into her. Fighting at equal power Chandra was no match for Siri, but as Siri was fighting both Chandra and her own urge to use the Dark Side, Chandra quickly overpowered the younger girl.


	3. Black Tide

Chapter 3

Black Tide

****

Chandra caught herself as the edge of her blade hovered less than a centimeter away from Siri's neck. The young Padawan looked at Chandra in fear, her purple blade motionless in her own hand. Something inside Chandra urged her to move the blade just slightly, and the Jedi would be dead. Obi-wan quickly pulled Siri away from Chandra before she was able to make a decision either way. Chandra struggled with her composure and tried to understand the conflict inside of her. _She never did anything to me, and I would have killed her._ Chandra wished for her Master's council as she deactivated her lightsabre. _No, Depa, not my master._

Adi calmly approached Chandra. She could feel the battle raging inside of the young girl and she felt nothing but compassion. Suddenly, Adi felt Chandra let go of the Dark Side. She closed her eyes momentarily as relief washed over her. Opening them Adi took Chandra's moment of weakness as an opportunity to speak.

'Your master is waiting for your return,' Adi said matter-of-factly.

Chandra said nothing as she looked at the weapon in her hand. She had carved the smooth metal casing, had added every detail. The rings that comprised the grip were her creation. The two crystals inside had been found, prepared, and placed by her hand. Every part of the weapon was hers, and yet it was not. She had no right to this weapon, no right to the power with in it. Suddenly she understood why the Jedi had withheld the plans from the population. Even in her own hands the weapon was too dangerous. _Too powerful,_ she thought.

'Padawan,' Adi commanded Chandra's attention.

Chandra looked up at the Jedi Master. She had seen this woman, only this morning, in the Council Chamber. She had received the punishment this woman helped to decide for her. Now Adi Gallia's eyes radiated the power and energy of the Force as Chandra gazed into them, but there was no trace of the compassion that was in her heart. Looking into Adi's eyes Chandra knew what awaited her. The depth of the returning gaze reflected what Chandra's heart had told her. This had all been a test, and she had failed.

'No,' Chandra said, slowly shaking her head.

Obi-wan looked up sharply. He knew there was some silent communication between the two, but he did not understand it. Obi-wan shot a warning glance at an irritated and impatient Siri who gritted her teeth.

Chandra's eyes defocused as her gaze turned inward. She searched for the strength within herself to finish what she had started. No Force, no master to aid and guide her. She had to do this alone or she would never survive.

Life returned to her dark eyes and they turned again to regard the Jedi Master. Adi Gallia's head was held high, her back straight, her shoulders squared, her eyes boring into the girl's. Somewhere, despite the formidable presence before her, deep inside of Chandra courage began to grow and take shape. She returned her gaze momentarily to the lightsabre in her hand. _Yes, too powerful,_ she thought for the last time and took as step forward, extending her arm out to the Jedi Master. Adi reached out and took hold of the weapon; her eyes betraying her heart for the first time that day.

Obi-wan watched sadly next to Siri. He knew how difficult it was to do what Chandra was doing. Twice he had handed his lightsabre to over into the possession of his master, once to save him; once to leave him.

The instant Chandra let go of the lightsabre she felt a sudden release. 'I was never meant to be a Jedi,' she told no one in particular. A rueful smile danced on her lips. 'Qui-Gon should have left me on Corellia.'

'Chandra, come back to the temple and talk to your Master about this. She deserves to hear it from you,' Adi said firmly, having composed herself.

Chandra shrugged. 'What's the point?' she asked, sticking her hands into the folds of her outer robe. 'I will never be a Jedi. Depa knew it from the beginning.' Chandra paused, amazed at how calm she was. She opened her mouth to continue but then closed it again, turned, and disappeared into the shadows of the perpetual night.

*****

****

The Rodian hardly noticed the Jedi's exit. His slow mind was still trying to grasp what was happening. The instant the Jedi had ignited the shimmering blue lightsabre his mind switched to automatic. Jedi, he hated Jedi. So did Vressk. That was why they had attacked. _Leader told us not to. Poor Leader._ The Rodian looked down at the still form of his friend. The unconscious young man had, for reasons the Rodian could not understand, allowed the Rodian to join the Raptors, offering protection for service. Even though the Rodian was a slow thinker the human had shown a compassion alien to the Crimson Corridor by letting him live. For that alone the Rodian owed the human his life.

__

I shot Jedi, but not Leader. He whimpered softly as he slowly rocked back and forth. _Who shot Leader? Who did this?_ The Rodian clenched his fists and a strange sensation rushed up his arm. He looked at his hand in surprise, for though he thought he had clenched his fists there was no fist to clench, no hand below the wrist. He thought he felt fingers, they itched, one of them had something slimy on it, but when he tried to move them or relieve the itch there was nothing there. _Jedi did this._ He thought angrily, not understanding that the phantom sensations were coming from his remaining hand. _Did Jedi shoot Leader?_ The Rodian thought about that. In his mind he played back the string of confused images. He only saw one enemy. _Jedi must have shot leader._

Just then the door to the hide-out burst open and three figures strode in. The first, a Human, the Rodian immediately recognized. His frame was slightly smaller than Leader's but his spiked green hair added another two or three inches to his height. He had the same pale eyes as Leader, all the same features. All the same characteristics. The Rodian knew instantly he and Leader were dead. There was no hope for them.

The boy, Ryland, was quickly followed by a young Gotal, Nig, and a Bith, Kiowa. Nig stepped forward and, after examining the scene before him, hissed something at Ryland. The Human nodded and Nig took action. Ignoring the Rodian's pathetic cries Nig pulled out and activated a vibroblade and attacked the creature, quickly putting his cries and whimpers to an end.

Ryland took a step toward his brother's unconscious form as Kiowa fingered a fully charged blaster. The wounded boy woke up as Ryland's hand touched his shoulder. For the first time in his life the leader of the Raptors felt fear. His death hovered over him in the form of his own brother as Ryland pulled out his own blaster, its energy cell barely depleted. He carelessly fired off two high-powered bolts in rapid succession. Without speaking, Ryland gestured Nig out of the safehouse and followed after recovering the Bith's blaster. At that moment, with Nig, the Gotal, as a witness, the Raptors changed leadership; their new leader a thirteen-year-old Human boy.

*****

****

The stench of blood, burned flesh, body waste, and the ever present odors of garbage hit Siri like a wall as soon as she entered the small room. Near to her were three dead bodies; the bodies of the boys Chandra had told them about. She staggered to the side as her gag reflex kicked in.

Obi-wan and Adi quickly scanned the room and Adi motioned Siri to check outside. Siri gladly bolted from the room. Obi-wan stooped next to the body of the Rodian and examined it. Adi did likewise with the Human.

'These are all blaster wounds. This one's been bandaged,' Adi thought outloud for Obi-wan's benefit. She quickly changed to examining the body of the Bith. 'Another blaster wound.'

Adi stood and moved to where Obi-wan knelt. 'This arm was instantly cauterized,' Obi-wan reported. 'A lightsabre wound.'

'That chest wound is quite messy,' Adi stated, knowing the cause of it. She deliberately left it out to test Obi-wan.

'A vibroblade.'

Adi nodded. 'Come, Obi-wan. There's nothing we can do h...'

Both Jedi leapt out the door in unison, lightsabres activated, to find Siri chasing off several thugs, seeming to randomly swing her lightsabre in their direction. At the sight of two more lightsabres the thugs ran even faster. Wordlessly the three Jedi started on their way back to the Temple.

*****

****

A dark ship swooped down to make a quick landing in the darkest part of the night. The entire planet, once a terrifying, inhospitable place, was crawling with young people, digging, prodding in places they did not belong. Darth Maul had chosen an already excavated and abandoned area to plant the decoy. He landed near an small, overlooked cave and started working. He left no removable evidence, only paintings on the walls. It was primitive, he knew, but before the Jedi Dissenters had ruled the planet the native Sith could have done such. It was a stretch but he had no doubt that it would be considered authentic. The script was that of the native Sith who had lived on Korriban and all drew the viewers eye to the centre where a large rendition of a black Sith Holocron held the viewer's attention.

A quiet, distant noise passed through the entrance to the Sith apprentice's ears, the sound of approaching foot-falls. Maul stepped back and looked at his work, deliberately sloppy, aged, and misleading. It would suffice. Quietly he melted into the shadows and waited.

After a time two Human males stumbled near the hidden entrance, joking around and pushing eachother. At Maul's silent bidding one looked down near his feet and pushed aside enough rubble and overgrowth to see the entrance.

'Hey, Rat,' he addressed the taller of the two. 'Take a look at this.'

The two men pulled away some of the rubble and cut away the brush enough to make a small passageway into the cave. Something inside of both warned them not to go in but Maul's manipulation through the Force, combined with their own curiosity, urged them forward. Rat maneuvered himself inside the opening followed quickly by the other Human. Their faces paled as they saw the markings on the wall.

'Jareth,' Rat said, pushing a little at the other man. 'Jareth, go find the others. They gotta know about this.'

Jareth turned toward the exit only to be thrown aside by what felt like electric fire. Rat turned at the snapping sound to see his friend literally lifted into the air and thrown aside by what looked like lightning. He ran over to Jareth once it stopped and helped him to his feet. Jareth's face was a mask of pain and he cried out as he was pulled to his feet. 

Suddenly a dark presence drew their attention to the entranceway. Only a few meters away stood a figure cloaked in black. His long robes swirled around him and his hood was thrown back revealing a red and black tattooed visage. In his hands the figure held a long metal cylinder. The overall effect was a paralyzing fear that held both men in its grasp. Jareth and Rat were both terrified and entranced. 

Then something clicked and Rat's fear overpowered his fascination. Ignoring his friend he darted into the shadows, searching frantically for another way out. He started to panic, breathing in short gasps and throwing himself against the stone walls.

Jareth inched his way away from the Sith slowly, then turned and followed Rat into the shadows, ramming into him and throwing them both onto the ground. The two friends eyed eachother in the dim light and they knew that their assessment was correct, that this was, beyond any shadow of a doubt, a Sith Lord, one of the rulers of this dead planet.

For moments that seemed like an eternity the two sat where they had fallen and the Sith did not move. Suddenly Rat remembered. His hand darted inside his heavy jacket. Tucked into the inside pocket was a small, low powered blaster. It was not much but it was his best chance. Jareth saw what his friend was doing and smacked the taller man to get his attention, shaking his head. Rat looked over at the Sith, an image of fear and power. Swallowing hard he spread out his hands in a gesture that challenged Jareth to find a better solution to their problem. Jareth shook his head. Rat turned and raised his blaster. Even hidden as they were, the Sith seemed to be looking right at him, seeing exactly what he was doing. Rat swallowed again and fired three blasts as quickly as he could. In the blink of an eye he was scrambling over Jareth to dodge the bolts reflected by the Sith's twin bladed lightsabre. It was futile. One bolt struck him in the face, killing him instantly. Looking down at the faceless corpse that was his friend, Jareth panicked and darted from the shadows out into the open. In his rush he nearly collided with the Sith who seemed to have appeared directly in front of him. 

Jareth looked into the Sith's cold yellow eyes, a young man, no older than himself, and felt his body go numb. In that instant a thousand thoughts flooded Jareth's mind. _I thought the Sith were extinct. How many others know about this? I hope no one finds this place. Maybe..._

Jareth's thought flow was cut off by the hum of a red blade slicing through the air. His body crumpled to the floor as his head rolled into the shadows, his expression captured in a mixture of amazement and fear.

*****

****

Chandra sat cross legged in a small dim room lit by only a few old glowsticks. It was two days since she came to the Corridor and joined the Raptor gang. She had cut off her Padawan braid as well as most of her hair to avoid catching the lice that frequented the dark alleyways. 

Ignoring the conversations of the boys and girls around her Chandra focused on the little things around her. She heard soft shuffling outside the heavy door. Her mind painted a picture of the scenery around her based on the sounds she received. There were eight creatures in the room including herself and Ryland. The Human was conversing with a Gotal, Nig, on the other side of the room. Two Rodians and one Bith, all children under the age of ten, were playing a knife throwing game, spreading their feet apart and dropping the knife straight down. Two other Humans sat across from Chandra, near the back wall. Chandra tried hard to ignore the different stenches of the room, the garbage, the rotting meat, the unwashed bodies.

Whether or not she was still sensing currents in the Force, Chandra did not know, and she did not question it. At that moment an alarm went off inside of her and her eyes shot open.

'Ryland, duck!' she called.

Ryland turned and flattened himself out on the ground, as much as there was of it. One of the two Humans behind him fell backwards, a blaster burn searing the side of his skull. Ryland and the rest of the Raptors, including Chandra, pulled out blasters and vibro-blades. Ryland and Chandra hung back as the three children dashed blindly out of the room.

'Rattlers,' the Human mumbled as he ran out, quickly ducking behind some trash.

Another bolt came through the open door between Ryland and Chandra. Nig stood with his back to the wall and fired blindly out of the doorway. Chandra and Ryland each jumped away from the open door. Ryland glanced over at Chandra who held her blaster ready.

'There's five left,' she said over the shouting and screaming in the alleyway.

'Rattlers?' he asked, already used to her uncanny ability to know exactly where things were without seeing them.

Chandra nodded. 'I'm assuming.'

The Rattlers were a rival gang who wanted complete control of the Crimson Corridor. Once and a while a few of their members would get bold and try to attack the Raptor strongholds. It was a skirmish with the Rattlers only two days ago that got Chandra into the Raptors. Their big mistake was that they only brought along a few members to fight. The Raptors, though they were usually spread throughout the Corridor, had the advantage of numbers and skill. Even the three children were excellent marksmen. 

Just then a small grenade tumbled into the room, filling it with a toxic smoke. Ryland, Nig, and Chandra left the room as quickly as possible. Once they were in the alley they looked around, the fighting had stopped with no more casualties on the Raptor side. The three children were dancing around in victory before noticing the smoke coming from the room. Together with Nig and the Human they ran off down the alley.

'How many are left?' Ryland asked.

'Three,' Chandra said. 'They're running.' Chandra gestured the way the Rattlers had gone, opposite the way the remaining Raptors had run.

'Come on,' Ryland said, pulling Chandra by the shoulder.

*****

****

A small child ducked out of the way, hiding behind a mound of trash as three Humans pounded down the alleyway pursued closely by Chandra and Ryland. The three came to a halt at a dead end and spun, vibro-blades raised and ready.

Ryland slowed to a stop and grinned mockingly. 'Know the turf ya' fight on, Rattler,' he said, raising his blaster.

'Listen, man, we were just followin' orders,' one of the boys explained.

'Come on, Ryland, ya' know me, man!' another said, lowering his vibro-blade.

Ryland shook his head and fired a badly aimed shot at the second speaker. Chandra quickly compensated with a quick blast that took out the first speaker. The two remaining Rattlers rushed Chandra and Ryland before either could get another shot off. Chandra's second blast harmlessly struck the opposite wall.

The boy who had claimed familiarity with Ryland chose him to strike at. He quickly followed a wide punch with a stab from his activated vibro-blade. Ryland blocked the punch but the vibro-blade bit into his side as he tried to spin out of the way. Biting back the pain he caught the boy's arm and pulled the boy past himself, kicking to the side at the same time. The kick landed firmly in the small of the boy's back, giving a sharp crunch and causing a scream to emit from the boy's throat. He fell to the ground paralyzed.

Meanwhile, and taking less time, Chandra battled the silent boy, exchanging her blaster for her own vibro-blade, which she kept deactivated. The boy swiped at her with an activated blade from outside arm's reach, expecting her to jump backwards. Instead she took and aggressive stance and leapt forward, completing a spinning kick that knocked him back a pace. The boy, blinded by anger, rushed Chandra and the battle ended with Chandra's vibro-blade jamming into his diaphragm. 

Warm blood pumped out of the boy's wound as his eyes locked onto hers. His eyes, a deep pooling brown, were wide with shock. His face contorted in pain. The boy's blood spilled out over the hilt of Chandra's vibro-blade onto her hand. At the first touch of the warm liquid Chandra's eyes were drawn to her hand. In the darkness the blood appeared to be a black tide rushing over her hand and up her arm. _No_, she thought, realizing what she had done. It was so easy to kill from far away, but this close the reality of it struck her like a brick wall. She looked up in shock at the dying boy. _No._ Her mind filled with the boy's anger and pain. She felt his life-force ebbing away as the tide of the blood pulled stronger from the other side. The his life-force ceased and his body crumpled, pulling away from Chandra and her vibro-blade, creating a sickening suction sound as it did so. Chandra looked at her blood stained hand and weapon and her mind stopped. She could not believe what she had just done.

Her concentration was quickly averted by the crack of the other Rattler's back breaking. She saw the Rattler fall face down and watched silently as Ryland leveled his blaster and fired, leaving a gaping hole in the boy's skull. Ryland looked at the boy a moment longer and shook his head, walking away.

Chandra remained a moment longer, looking at the carnage of the battle. As of that moment the death count was seven; seven sentient beings killed by her hand. She listed them silently in her head: the Trandoshan, the hidden attacker, the three Rattlers from the other day, and the two from today. She never found out about the Rodian or the Human.

Behind her Chandra heard a scuffle and small sobs. She turned to see a small human child of about five or six years peaking out from her hiding spot among the trash. Chandra sheathed her dirtied vibro-blade in her boot, the drying blood on her hand cracking as she moved it. She slowly approached the child so as not to frighten her away. She silently knelt down in front of the child, gripping her shoulders gently. With her clean hand Chandra wiped away the child's tears.

'Hush,' she said softly. 'Stop crying.'

After a moment the child's sobs subsided into quiet whimpers. Chandra put her clean hand under the girl's chin and lifted it so their eyes met.

Looking deep into the girl's tear-filled eyes Chandra spoke. 'No matter what happens, no matter what anybody does to you, never let them see you cry. You'll only give them the victory.

The child looked into Chandra's dark eyes a moment longer before her sniffling stopped and she nodded, biting her lip to keep back the onrush of tears. Chandra nodded in return, patted the child's shoulder and took her by the hand, keeping her bloodied hand out of the girl's sight. She escorted the child out of the Crimson Corridor to the edge of a worn down, understaffed shelter. At Chandra's urging the child let go of her hand and made her way through the dull-witted crowed into the building, head held high and never once looking back.


End file.
